


Ten Cents & Tea

by oranges



Category: The Book of Mormon - Ambiguous Fandom, The Book of Mormon - Parker/Stone/Lopez
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-08
Updated: 2018-07-08
Packaged: 2019-06-07 11:12:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15217916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oranges/pseuds/oranges
Summary: Nabulungi hummed softly to herself as she carried a large sign to the mission hut porch. She gently set the sign on the top of a table and beamed at the curious Elders eyeing her, confused at her sudden arrival. She smiled eagerly at the group and waved her hand to Arnold who slowly rose his eyebrow when he read the sign.“Relationship Advice + Hot Tea for Only Ten Cents”





	Ten Cents & Tea

Nabulungi hummed softly to herself as she carried a large sign to the mission hut porch. She gently set the sign on the top of a table and beamed at the curious Elders eyeing her, confused at her sudden arrival. She smiled eagerly at the group and waved her hand to Arnold who slowly rose his eyebrow when he read the sign.

“Relationship Advice + Hot Tea for Only Ten Cents”

Arnold had forced Kevin to go to “find his romantic calling” with Naba for over four weeks now, and his love life wasn’t showing any noticeable improvement. Nonetheless, Kevin wanted to help fund for Naba’s improved texting device, so he supported her “love therapy” sessions.  
Sometimes Kevin and Naba sat across each other from a table or cross-legged on a soft rug, but today Naba was relaxing on the couch next to a sleeping Arnold. Arnold’s head was placed firmly in her lap with his arms wrapped tightly around a nearby couch cushion. Kevin found it shocking that Arnold could be sleeping in the Ugandan heat, especially since that he still had his collared shirt and black pants on. 

In comparison to her napping companion, Naba waved to beckon Kevin in while she stroked Arnold’s curly locks with gentle hands. Kevin noticed how long Arnold’s hair was and paused for a moment, shocked that along with Arnold’s, Kevin’s hair had grown out of its standard for young Mormon men. Kevin self-consciously ran a hand through his hair and took a seat on the kitchen table. Naba quietly lifted Arnold’s head onto a pillow and joined Kevin at the table.  
Before Naba could begin questioning Kevin about his romantic life like he was guilty of a crime, he followed her gaze to Arnold who had rolled over and was muttering quietly in his sleep.

“So you’re the one offering relationship advice, yet you won’t take the advice yourself. Just ask him to be your boyfriend already?” Kevin pressed, knowing how much Arnold would gush lovingly about Naba.

She dropped his gaze and stared out the window at the barren landscape. Her voice began, quieter than before.

“I--I just am not sure Arnold feels the same way about me, Elder Price, you must understand.”

Kevin’s eyes softened. Of course he knew that feeling. The feeling of awkward, unrequited love; the feeling of rejection that Kevin had so-often felt during his years at school. Kevin had conditioned himself to where he would never feel disappointed. Nothing that The Kevin Price would do would ever be seen as anything less than perfect. 

Although it seemed foolproof in the mind of a young 11-year old, he had always wanted something that he never could get. First, it was silly things like following a trend that broke rules of Mormon faith. Kevin had convinced himself he could live without going to Starbucks or having hair long enough to put in a ponytail, but then his desires had grown deeper. Everything that Kevin despised about himself he pushed down. If he didn’t recognize it, it didn’t exist.

This began Kevin’s projection of his desires onto his fascination with Orlando, Florida. All his hopes and dreams were placed on his fantasyland, Orlando. Although he prayed to be sent to the Floridian central, Kevin hoped he wouldn’t have to face disappointment of realizing that it wasn’t all as great as he had imagined.

As long as he never would go to Orlando, he wouldn’t have to face his discontent in life. The perfect place did exist, no one would dispute it, all Kevin had to do was….not go there?

“Elder Price?”

Kevin realized he had remained silent after Naba’s statement and quickly blurted out a short response.

“Uh, Yes! Of course! Take your Time!”

Naba stared questioningly into Kevin’s eyes before beginning her standard questioning about his personal life.

Kevin answered her prying questions and tried to reveal as little as he could about his feelings. Not that he hadn’t felt any towards any specific girl in the village, it was more a general feeling. When they reached the bottom of her questionnaire, Naba glanced up at him knowingly. Kevin felt uncomfortable when she stared; it was almost as if she could see right through him. She glanced once more at her stack of papers and then back up to Kevin.

Tentatively she asked the Elder, “What do you think of….Elder McKinley?”

Kevin’s felt a slight flush on the tip of his ears and was grateful for the length of his messy hair, for it shielded his reddening ears and neck from Naba’s knowing face. How could she even suggest that. It was well known that Elder Price and Elder McKinley didn’t talk. But of course, the flush was only from the heat…right?

“He’s-uh- a good—great—mission leader!” Kevin answered with forced enthusiasm.

“Anything else?”

“He’s really the best at cards between all of us.”

“That’s not what I’m asking, Elder.”

Kevin knew he had to choose his next words carefully. But to be entirely honest, Kevin wasn’t entirely sure how he felt about the perky mission leader. For starters, it seemed that the only time Elder McKinley found interest in conversing with Kevin was when he needed something from him.

Partially it was also Kevin’s fault since he couldn’t ever say no to the Elder’s electric blue eyes and even brighter smile.

Kevin could never find free time to be alone with Connor without the mission leader having complete paperwork or talk to others. It was almost like the other Elder fitted his schedule so that he and Kevin would never spend more than a few minutes of small talk together.

It made Kevin angry, because he understood that his gestures of friendship and attention made absolutely no impression on the other. Kevin had just decided the only way to ever get the other Elder’s attention was to give none to him. However, this was unsuccessful, for he felt constantly drawn to the other man. 

“I’m not ….you know,” Kevin dropped his voice, “....gay.”

Naba nodded expectantly, still holding uncomfortable eye contact with her fellow Elder.

“Of course,” she replied cheekily, “We are done for today, I will have your dating packet done by next week.”

Just as Kevin was about to leave his seat, the door to Naba’s hut opened and Kevin watched as Elder McKinley strolled in. His hair was fluffy and his freckled cheeks were mildly flushed from the African heat. His nose was bent in a book about traditional African cooking.

Kevin frowned when he noticed that the other Elder was still dressed in the precise missionary uniform, even after it had been clearly stated in the Book of Arnold that the uniforms were not required unless one was strictly on a religious mission.

Kevin was dressed in a loose hoodie and slacks and looked slob-ish compared to the other boy’s appearance. It made him angry how Elder McKinley had to consistently make Kevin look underprepared. Kevin ran a hand through his unkempt hair in an attempt to improve it’s tangled condition. He definitely needed to get it cut now.

The other Elder hadn’t even noticed Kevin was in the room until he had walked into the kitchen. Once he had, Elder McKinley’s face pulled into their practiced Poster-Mormon-Boy smile as he glanced hopelessly at Naba.

“Are you two not finished? Sorry for coming a bit early today Sister, I had finished my paperwork early today.”

Why is he even here? He’s not the one who would have problems finding a partner. Not with his stupid smile and stupid fluffy hair and--- everyone likes him anyway.

Kevin would have rolled his eyes at the mission leader if not her was in public. 

“Ah, Elder Price, I see you have dropped wearing the missionary wear.” Elder McKinley said with an accusatory tone in his voice as he gave the other Elder a once-over with his eyes. 

Kevin automatically narrowed his eyes and straightened his back. “I’m sorry that I hate the old rules of having to wear that pressed shirt tucked in all the time,” he paused for a moment before adding, “And, at least I don’t have an obsession with following the rules all the time.”

Kevin hated how much he secretly enjoyed Elder McKinley’s expressive face and watched silently as he saw frustration and anger flash between the other boy’s eyes. 

Elder McKinley’s eyes narrowed, but he gave no protest other than straightening his back and smiling weakly. 

There was a brief moment of silence where Kevin just stared into Elder McKinley’s stupid blue eyes until he realized he should be leaving instead of staring.

Kevin hurriedly shoved his papers in his bag and dropped his eyes. As he stood up the back of his heel caught on the chair and he stumbled a bit forward as he rose. When Kevin looked up, he was mere inches from the other Elder. 

Connor’s face flushed slightly as he abruptly turned and stepped to the side to allow Kevin to pass. Kevin could not be more eager to leave. 

As he passed through the short doorway, he risked one more glance over his shoulder at Naba and Connor exchanging stories about their day. Feeling a twinge of sadness at how easily Connor opened up to Naba, Kevin turned his head and hurriedly rushed out the door thinking of how he and Connor always ended in an argument no matter how their conversation started.

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first post on this site woo! i'm clearly not a great writer, but the more practice, the better i will get? (i hope) !! if you could, leave kudos and comments & thanks for reading :~)


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